Present, interrogation room aboard the Mon Cal cruiser Home One, Bilbringi Shipyards
"So what was the mission?"
"We had to seed a lot of the yasalmir across areas of the fleet where Thrawn didn't want C'Boath interfering. We also had a good number of the things put aboard the Knight as permanent members." I chuckled, "they were rather cute once you got used to having them wandering around the ship whenever it pleased them."
She looked at me disbelievingly, "wait, that was all he wanted you to do? I can't see how that required Hades' attention. He could have just distributed them using another method."
I smiled at her, I wasn't about to tell her the real reason for that mission; the war was over for me, I was done fighting it but I wasn't going to betray Thrawn's trust after all this time. The Republic did not need to know what Thrawn didn't want them to; he'd planned for everything, even his death. Our real mission had been very simple: take Thrawn's clone to safety in the Unknown Regions*, to stay with Thrawn's people. In the case of Thrawn's death, the clone would grow and when born would finish what he'd started. That was the plan anyways; I wasn't going to wait ten years to see another failed campaign but I was willing to give Thrawn the chance to prove my cynicism wrong. What Thrawn expected to find when his clone woke up was beyond me, considering this latest defeat and the rate at which Imperial units were vanishing** I seriously doubted there would be an Empire left to command in ten years.
"It was an important mission to Thrawn, C'Boath was growing increasingly unstable and Thrawn wanted to ensure that his major assets, and more importantly that his commanders, remained intact and loyal."
"So you moved throughout the fleet distributing yasalmir for Thrawn, what about the clones?"
I shuddered as I thought about them, the crew clones hadn't been that bad, they were a fairly diverse group and so it hadn't been blazingly obvious that they all looked alike. The other ones though, the ones assigned to replace our fighter and commando losses, those had been interesting.
Approximately 3 months earlier, aboard the Black Knight, returning from the Unknown Regions
Garin heard the curse before he saw the yasalmir sail through the air with a shriek; he caught the terrified creature which scrambled up on his shoulders and whined as he stopped in front of his Defender.
"You could be a little gentler with them you know, they don't mean any harm."
Daru stopped, heaving a sigh as she looked down at him from atop the fighter, "you could at least keep them off my hangar sir."
"They're not supposed to be on the hangar, I don't know how this one got here."
The two of them stared at one another for a long time, neither saying anything before Daru finally went back to her maintenance.
"How are the clones holding up," Garin asked, keeping one hand on the yasalmir clutching his shoulders.
Daru shook her head, "a child would make a better mechanic; I don't know what Thrawn was thinking when he made them. I've had to teach them everything!"
Garin chuckled, which earned him a scowl. He held up his free hand, forestalling any outburst.
"Sissir and I have been having similar issues with our clones too. They learn quickly and are efficient once taught, but teaching them is the problem."
"At least you have sims, I've got to physically take them through the motions whenever I have maintenance to run. I'm just glad that most of my team either stayed or came back or I'd go insane."
Garin nodded as she continued her work, taking a fresh tool out of her repulsor kit, "thank you by the way."
"What for," she hissed through gritted teeth as she applied herself to the latest offense his ship had committed.
"For staying on, it'd be hard to keep the unit running without you here."
Daru stopped what she was doing and looked straight ahead at the Defender's central pylon, "stop right there sir."
He looked at her with a frown and she shook her head, her voice growing softer.
"I don't want to hear it, things have changed sir. I don't want to hear it anymore."
Garin's face remained set neutrally though he knew what she was talking about and it stung, this latest cruise of theirs had allowed the unit plenty of free time and he'd used it to try talking to her. She'd been avoiding and evading his company very effectively and this was only the third time he'd managed to get her alone and the first time she'd been at all responsive.
"It's that bad?"
She nodded tightly, her lekku twitching uneasily.
"I didn't have anywhere else to go, and you weren't staying so this seemed like the best place for me to be. No one actually expected the unit to reform."
The words hit him like missiles and he took a long breath, again he'd really let things go for too long.
"Which part are you more upset about," he asked quietly, letting the yasalmir scramble off his shoulders and scurry away through the maze of machinery and personnel towards the hangar's exit. There were no nutrient frames on the hangar or any of the flight decks so why they came in here was beyond him; but as this one had evidenced they did so despite attempts to keep them out.
"Which part," Daru responded with a frown.
"Using you in my attempt to bargain with Zsinj, or knocking you out when you hijacked the hangar."
"I didn't hijack the hangar," she snapped, "I sealed it off; and don't blame me for that, I was scared and wasn't thinking."
She seemed to realize her tone and looked away sullenly, "sorry sir."
He shook his head, "you're allowed to be mad at me you know."
"I don't want to be mad at you sir," she said carefully, he really wished she'd stop saying sir. "But whenever you start talking to me I get mad."
"Latent memories and unconscious responses perhaps, your lekku can store those subconsciously right?"
She started, nearly dropping her tool in the process, and looked down at him, "you know about that?"
Garin leaned against the Defender's engine block and looked back over the hangar, "I wouldn't be a very good leader if I didn't learn about what makes my people who they are. In your case I didn't look deep enough and endangered you and a lot of other people because of my mistake."
There was silence, he didn't look up to see what she was doing, instead he just watched the other fighters being serviced by the deck teams, here and there, somewhat to his surprise, he spied the clone pilots. The ones that resembled Fel didn't bother him too much, but he always jumped mentally whenever the Stele look-a-likes crossed his field of vision. Kalan and Matrin had made the joke that Vic'que would have been in heaven if she'd still been with the unit, Garin wasn't too sure about that considering her attitude but it was a funny thought despite its implausibility. He'd tried to imagine what his reaction would have been if Thrawn had used Daru in his clone template for some of the crewmen clones. He didn't think he'd have appreciated it very much; too many memories would have been associated with people who had nothing to do with those memories.
"Are you even listening to me," Daru called from above, breaking into his thoughts.
"Sorry," he said instantly, looking up to find her scowling at him.
She sighed and shook her head, "nevermind."
"For what it's worth Daru, I'm sorry."
She sighed and went back to work, "you really weren't listening just now. I don't blame you sir."
"So why are you calling me sir constantly instead of Garin?"
She stopped, but didn't look down at him as she put her tool in her pocket and leaned forwards with her head against the fighter's pylon.
"It isn't the same Garin, stop trying to act like it can be. Things have changed, I have changed, and it isn't going to work anymore. So please, just stop before you hurt both of us."
Garin felt a knot form in his throat as he tried to respond, he finally managed a strangled "yeah" and moved away from the Defender and began walking back through the maze of machinery.
"Sir, do you have a moment?"
He turned and refrained from scowling as Stele's face stared at him, "yes?"
"I was wondering if you'd be able to join us for a sim run sir," the clone said, sounding remarkably childlike. As if he was asking his older brother to play with him.
Garin considered for a moment, then reached for his com unit, "Iriana can you broadcast something for me?"
"Yes sir, you're patched in now."
Garin took a breath and had the satisfaction of hearing his voice booming over the ship wide intercom.
"All fighter crews are to report to the training lounge, be prepared to practice in massed formations against hardened targets."
The clone's face brightened in elation as Garin returned his comlink, he hadn't exercised his entire unit since reforming; given his current mood this might not have been the best time to do it. However the clones needed the training, and he need to blow off steam.
Present, interrogation room aboard the Mon Cal cruiser Home One, Bilbringi Shipyards
"You called a wing wide training session because you were in a bad mood?"
I shrugged, feeling a little sheepish, it did sound pretty childish in hindsight; but at the time it seemed like the best answer to my problem.
"It was more productive than wandering around the ship snapping at people, if you could ask any of my people they'd tell you the same thing: Hades was training obsessed. We made sure that each squadron trained in the sims at least once a day; and every pilot was required to have fifteen minutes of sim time every day regardless of other duties."
"Even Rogue squadron doesn't have that kind of training regimen," Deana said in surprise.
"Now you know why we beat the odds so many times, Toth, Harth, Kalan, Matrin and I were never trained for the kind of fighting we faced at Russani. Hades' regimen was meant to ensure that we'd always have sufficient training to deal with any situation. We had some of the hardest simulations in any Imperial wing and that's counting units like the 181st and the 128th."
Her expression told me what she thought of that, both the 181st and 128th fighter wings were legendary in the Empire as being the Imperial equivalent to units like Rogue squadron, that Hades had a harder training regimen than they did said a lot about what would have happened if the Rogues had been pitted against us. If I was in the Republic, that thought would have scared me too.
Approximately 3 months earlier, aboard the Black Knight, returning from the Unknown Regions
Garin sat with his arms folded and watched as the mission timer ticked down, Harth knew what was coming but none of the others did, this was a new mission that Vic'que had originally proposed to Harth and Garin had only just incorporated it into the simulators with a few pertinent changes. The mission briefing required Reaver group to reconnoiter the target area and eliminate a critical target, calling in the other squadrons if need be. He was sure they'd need too considering what the target was.
"Commander this is Reaver squad we have heavy resistance! I repeat the enemy is in force we need assistance now!"
"Copy that Reavers we're inbound on your position, hang in there," Garin called out. "All squadrons jump to the Reaver's position and prepare to engage."
Over the private channel Toth's voice echoed reproachfully, "what did you do to them this time?"
Garin was saved the trouble of answering when Harth spoke up, "it's a viable scenario, and you'll see it soon enough."
The simulated hyperspace tunnel collapsed as they entered realspace, Garin's sensors immediately picked up the enemy and the scattering of blue that was the Reavers.
"Oh space, is that—" Toth began.
"The Lusankya," Garin said, even if he was the only one who knew of it, the smile still felt good.
"There is something seriously wrong with the two of you; I just hope you realize that."
Garin chuckled, yes, it was a cruel mission but the Lusankya was in Republic hands now, being refitted according to intelligence. It was quite possible, even probable, that Hades would run into her sooner or later.
"It's a viable target," Harth said, mirroring Garin's thoughts. "You won't get any better if you only take on the easy tasks."
"Can I add my cred to this," Kalan piped in. "This is insane, even with the Knight we'd never be able to kill this thing."
"Sure we can," Matrin said cheerfully, "just give her a good case of the Trench Disease***. None of the big ladies can stand against that ailment."
Kalan sounded disturbed when he responded and Garin could just imagine him shuddering.
"You make it sound infectious."
Garin switched over to the unit channel, "Reavers pull back and form up with the rest of the wing. Diamond squadron will close and execute trench run on the bridge tower of the Lusankya with Mantis in support. Wyvern and Shadow squadrons will provide fighter screen, Reavers once you pull back reengage enemy support vessels and static targets. Get to it Hades."
He took a moment to apprise the enemy positions, the Lusankya was at the center of the enemy formation sitting in its space dock silently, when he and Harth had designed the scenario they'd randomized the state of completion of the super star destroyer and the level of resistance and security mounted by the Republic forces. Today it seemed that the Lusankya wasn't up to the task of swatting down the fighters now heading towards her; however the defense stations, support ships, and fighters were more than willing to mount a defense. He watched as Diamond and Mantis let loose a rippling barrage from their missile launchers and a multi-tiered wave of ordnance soared towards the oncoming enemy who broke their formation and kicked in chaff and flare to evade the barrage. By and large their attempts worked, with only a sparse handful of missiles finding their targets and the rest left to the chaff and flare.
However the damage had been done, with their formation shattered Wyvern and Shadow were able to set upon the Republic X-wing and B-wing units with a vengeance and relative impunity as the Republic fighters tried to regain some semblance of a combat form. Hades' superiority only lasted for a few seconds while their enemies reformed but that was all the time the more experienced pilots needed to even the odds somewhat. Garin and the other squadron leaders had been careful with their placement of the clone pilots. Rather than place them in their own flight elements and risk creating a glaring weakness in each squadron, the clones had instead been put in elements with veteran pilots who they could learn from and would hopefully keep them alive long enough to learn as well. The clones still had to learn the ropes of course, but spreading them out into the different flight elements lessened the weakness and increased the rate at which the pilots could learn their trade.
Garin's mind became so involved in the furball that he'd lost track of the progress of his other units, but that's why he made sure his officers knew their business. They didn't need constant direction from a higher command. The same freedom given to the wing was given to the individual officers; it allowed a fluidity that most fighter units weren't able to replicate. A quick check of his sensor data told him all he needed to know, the Reavers had knocked out two-thirds of the defensive platforms; thankfully they were the small turreted platforms and not anything bigger. If the sim AI had placed Golans or something similar here the Reaver's task would not have been nearly so easy.
"Diamond, rockets and bombs away get clear."
"Mantis, staggered barrage; give them something to think about."
Garin wasn't facing the Lusankya when its bridge took the hits, but his sensors registered the collapse of the bridge shields and a moment later the bridge went up. The thing about the Diamond Blue and Star Wing's launcher set up was that unlike most fighters they could fire multiple warheads simultaneously. Two-dozen fighters firing point blank range with a multiple warhead discharge was fatal for almost anything; especially for an already damaged super star destroyer. He remembered what the Executor had looked like going up and smiled as he imagined Lusankya going down in similar fashion, even if only in simulation.
"Hades, disengage and return to the Knight we've given them a bloody nose, now let's get out of here before they give us worse."
The AI had been kind to them this time, light defenses, an underpowered and undermanned Lusankya; they'd have to run the scenario a few more times today to get a proper work out. And he still wanted to vent.
Author's Note: I thought I should share; Hades Wing's current fighter compliment has actually reached a full naval wing. Their current listing is as follows: 12 Avengers, 12, Defenders, 12 Gunboats, 12 Diamond Blues, 9 Howlrunners, 6 Scimitars, and counting the Skiprays (these are usually considered small gunships or corvettes in most units and aren't counted in a typical wing) then 9 Blastboats for a total of 72 fighters which is the wing size a fully staffed Imperator or Imperial would carry. So in a rather amusing accident, I've confirmed the intelligence reports of Hades being at or above full strength at Bilbringi. Oops?
*The area of the Unknown Regions where Hades was is known as the Chiss Ascendancy and is the nation-state that Thrawn hails from. Thankfully most Chiss aren't as militarily brilliant as Thrawn although they do have a military that evokes images of Spartan quality and steadfastness. The Ascendancy was having minor skirmishes with the advance guard of the Yuuzhan Vong decades before the rest of the galaxy had even heard of them; the fact that they not only survived these incursions but repelled them is testament to the quality of their forces.
**Those not summoned by the Emperor, specifically those whose loyalties might be suspect, were left entirely unaware of the plans of the Emperor and left to wonder at the disappearance of those who were recalled to Byss. Given Hades reputation it is highly doubtful that Palpatine would have risked recalling the unit and risk them revealing his plans prematurely despite their abilities.
***Trench Disease: term coined by the Alliance after the attack method used on the first Death Star and later applied to numerous large warships that couldn't deal with smaller fighters flying in too close to their hulls and thereby preventing target acquisition and tracking.